Across Blue Skies
by norbert220
Summary: Shortly after the Final Battle of Hogwarts, Harry Potter finds new beginnings through remembering the past.


_**Across Blue Skies**_

He had not wanted to wake up this morning. He knew that if he did, the memories would become real again, reaching out to put a strangle hold on his heart and mind. Today would be the first, the first in a lifetime of remembrances of a life that had fallen away, taking so many with it as it died. Secretly, he knew he must do this, not only for the others, but for his own peace of mind as well.

As if in response to these musings, he began to hear muffled stirrings from the rooms below him. He also became aware of the unnatural sounds emanating loudly from his roommate. The snores of his comrade seemed to shake the very foundation of the house so much, that even the soundest of sleepers would have a hard time rooming with this human cacophony. Harry Potter had roomed with Ron Weasley for over six years though, and he had learned how to tune him out easily.

Harry stared at the ceiling of Ron's room, the room that he had been sharing since he moved in to the Burrow at the beginning of summer last year. Harry could not think of a better place to be after all this time because everything, the sights, sounds, and smells, of the Burrow reminded him of home. He would always hold this place near and dear to his heart. Pleasant memories of this place, and the dear people who lived there washed over Harry like a warm wave. He had a family here… perhaps not in the biological sense, but to the Weasleys he was their son, and that was good enough for him. He almost found himself drifting back into a blissful slumber, when he heard Molly Weasley's voice cut through the house like a knife.

"Kids! Up and at them! Breakfast is ready!"

Harry was amazed to see Ron sit up straight in his bed, instantly awake with eyes wide open. Ron could be a real chore to get moving very fast about anything, but if you mentioned the prospect of a meal in the mix, you had his undivided attention. Food was one of the most important things in Ron's life, coming in second only to his deep love for the brown haired Hermione Granger, and even then it was a _very_ close second. Harry resigned himself to the fact that, while he and Ron had been best mates for almost a decade and had faced horrors uncounted, he still found himself a distant third in Ron's list of life priorities.

It was Ron now who broke Harry's train of thought, "Morning, mate. I'm bloody hungry, how 'bout you?"

Harry couldn't suppress a smile as he looked over at Ron, "I'm starving." Actually, upon saying this, Harry realized that he really was quite hungry.

Ron needed no more coaxing. Leaping out of bed he said, "Brilliant! Race you to the kitchen!"

Harry jumped out of bed, but knew that there was no way he would make it to the table before Ron. The man was on a mission and heaven help anyone who got in his way.

"Oi, Ron! You great git! You almost ran me under!" Apparently Ginny had made the mistake of being within a mile of the kitchen and Ron had proceeded to bowl her over. Harry walked out into the hallway and saw the fiery redhead standing there in rumpled pajamas rubbing her elbow.

Harry walked up to her and put his arm around her waist. "Good morning Gin," he said as he gave her a small kiss on her flushed cheek, "Did you sleep well?"

Ginny smiled as she stood on her tiptoes, flung her arms around Harry and kissed him sweetly on the lips, "Very well. Thanks for asking, babe."

Harry tried to look stern but couldn't hide a bit of a smile, "What did I tell you about calling me 'babe'?" He squeezed her gently in his arms.

She tried to glare at him, but instead let out a small squeak and a giggle as he squeezed her. "You're mine and I'll call you whatever I bloody well want, thank you very much."

"Well for someone who thinks they own me, I sure haven't seen much of you lately."

This was actually a true statement. Hermione had arrived at the Burrow two days ago, carrying a trunk load of books with her. Ron, who had been about ready to pull his hair out in anticipation of seeing his girlfriend again, had looked quite crestfallen when he had noticed the books she was dragging along. "Honestly, Hermione, do you have to tote the entire Hogwarts library around with you everywhere you go?"

Hermione had looked at him with something almost akin to pity. "Ron, I'm bringing these because Ginny said she needed my help with something and I wanted to make sure I was prepared."

"Ginny!?" Ron seemed shocked, "Why would Ginny need books when school is out? She doesn't even like books!"

Hermione just gave Ron a sly smile, "There are a lot of things you obviously don't know about your sister." Without another word, she swept past a confused Ron and went in search of Ginny.

That was the last that anyone saw of the two young witches. Upon finding each other, they had locked themselves in Ginny's bedroom and had come out only for meals, deflecting all questions as to what exactly they were doing up in the room. Harry had the sneaking suspicion that it had something to do with him, because whenever Ginny would glance at him during meals, she would blush slightly and quickly look the other way. Yes. Something was _definitely_ going on, and it had to do with him.

Harry, who was lost in his thoughts, almost missed Ginny's response. "Don't worry, babe. I'm going to _more_ than make up for that soon. You'll see. Now come on. Let's grab something to eat before Ron decides to unhinge his jaw and swallow the entire table."

Harry laughed, lightly took his girlfriend's hand and escorted her down the stairs into the kitchen. Ron, of course, was already there and seated, shoveling food into his mouth as if he was bent on destruction. Hermione was sitting beside him, nibbling a pastry and swirling a cup of black coffee with a spoon. Every few seconds she would glance at Ron and his antics, sigh, and shake her head slightly. Ron, oblivious, continued his frenzy.

Harry and Ginny took seats opposite from the two and proceeded to watch Mrs. Weasley pile food onto their plates. "Morning, dears! I want you all to eat up because we all have a very big day today and I don't want you getting hungry now!"

Upon hearing this, Harry remembered once again what was happening today and felt the smile fall from his lips. Ginny must have noticed his sudden change in demeanor, because she looked at him with compassion and slipped her hand back into his and gave a reassuring squeeze.

Mrs. Weasley stroked Harry's unkempt hair in passing and said almost to herself, "Harry you are growing up so fast and I'm so proud of you and all you've done."

Suddenly Harry shot his hand out and grabbed Mrs. Weasley's. She turned around in surprise and found herself trapped in his glorious emerald eyes. Not knowing where they came from, or what exactly made him say the words, Harry looked her full in the face and said, "I love you, mum."

Everyone at the table, even Ron, fell silent as they felt the full impact of Harry's words. Hermione's hand went to her mouth in surprise. Ron, his fork hanging forgotten between his mouth and plate, smiled like a lunatic. Ginny squeezed Harry's hand in her own, and began to sniffle a tiny bit. Molly Weasley, however, gave a low moan and threw her arms around Harry in a bone-crunching hug. She began to weep freely as she rocked Harry back and forth in her arms.

"Oh, Harry! I love you too, dear! You have always been a son to me and you always will! You are so kind and caring, and of all days to say something, you picked today! You just don't know how much that means to me today!" Mrs. Weasley gave him one more giant squeeze before standing and returning to her kitchen work, humming joyously to herself.

As things returned to normal at the table, Ginny leaned close to Harry and whispered, "That was a very nice thing you did, love."

Harry smiled at her and said, "It seemed like the right thing to say, and I meant it with all my heart."

Ginny smiled and gave Harry a gentle kiss on the lips. "I know you did," she breathed.

With that, the four friends turned to the task at hand and proceeded to put a sizable dent in the food that Mrs. Weasley had prepared for breakfast. Once everyone had eaten their fill, and they were groaning under the weight of their full stomachs, Mrs. Weasley cleared the table with a flick of her wand and ordered them upstairs to get ready.

"I've set out nice clothes for all of you and I want you to have a care when you put them on. I want you all to make a very good impression today, and you can't do that looking all rumpled. Understand me, Ronald?" she said with a steely glint in her eye.

"Yes, mum," Ron mumbled as he started out of the kitchen and towards his room.

The two couples made their way back upstairs and separated for their own rooms, but not before exchanging a few quick parting kisses.

Upon entering their bedroom, both Ron and Harry noticed that their formal dress robes had been laid out on their beds.

"Bloody hell!" Ron swore. "I knew that this thing we're attending was going to be formal, but not _this_ formal! I'm going to roast alive!"

"Maybe some time in the sun will melt away a bit of the food you destroyed this morning," Harry said sarcastically.

Ron made an obscene hand gesture, which Harry gave right back at him, causing both of them to laugh. Chatting about various unimportant things, they started getting ready.

It took a total of almost two hours for everyone to return to the living room in an acceptable state. Harry and Ron had spent most of the two hours waiting for their respective girlfriends to show up. The two of them couldn't understand why on earth girls needed so much time to get ready and were about to ask them when they finally appeared in the room. The questions remained unasked upon their lips however, because the two boys were struck dumb by the visions of beauty now standing before them. Both girls had taken their formal dresses from the Hogwarts Yule Ball so many years ago and refined them with various touches, causing them to look even more radiant and beautiful than their boyfriends could ever have remembered seeing them. When neither Ron nor Harry could form a coherent sentence, both Hermione and Ginny giggled and kissed them on the cheek.

Just then, Mrs. Weasley entered the room with her husband, Arthur, at her side. They were wearing the same formal attire they had worn at Bill and Fleur's wedding and they were both smiling in much the same way as they had on that day.

Molly Weasley was almost beside herself when she passed her eyes over the four before her. "You all look simply amazing! I'm so proud of all of you!"

Arthur Weasley said nothing, but only nodded by his wife's side.

"So how are we going to travel to the meeting place?" Harry asked.

"Well, we decide that we're going to Apparate because that's the easiest," Mr. Weasley replied. "Of course, Ginny will need to Side-Along since she hasn't gotten the chance to retake her test."

Ginny seemed scandalized at this comment and rose to her own defense, "It's not my fault that I got distracted during my test!"

Sensing that Ginny was about to start a tirade, Harry quickly tried to head it off, "It's okay, love. You can Side-Along with me. I like it much better when I have you in my arms anyway."

Ginny went silent instantly, "Okay, Harry," she said quietly with a smile. Harry seemed to be getting better at calming her down.

"Well, now that everything is settled, I guess we should get going!" Mr. Weasley said brightly. "See you all at Hogwarts!"

With a succession of pops, they were all gone.

The grass in front of Dumbledore's tomb was covered in white folding chairs, much like the day of his funeral. However, this time the scene was a bit different. Behind the tomb was a tall unidentifiable structure, covered by a green velvet curtain. Directly in front of Dumbledore's final place of rest, a raised platform had been erected, along with five golden chairs and a podium. Four of these chairs had been filled by Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione.

It was noon and every chair on the grass was filled with many wizards and witches standing behind the assembly. Quick quotes quills floated in the air as reporters from all across the wizarding world had come to Hogwarts to get this once in a lifetime story. Harry fidgeted in his seat as he seemed to feel every pair of eyes boring holes into him.

Ginny just reached out and took his hand. "It's okay, Harry. I'm here with you."

Harry nodded and sighed, trying to let the tension flow out of him.

At precisely five minutes after twelve, a trumpet note sounded and Kingsley Shacklebolt, the current Minister of Magic, walked up the stage and behind the podium. The crowd instantly fell silent and all eyes trained on his impressive figure.

"_Sonorus_," the Minister chanted before taking a deep breath and plunging in. "Esteemed witches and wizards, we have come here today, to the lovely grounds of Hogwarts, to remember an extraordinary event. In fact, this event could quite possibly be the most important one that we will ever be privileged to witness. I am speaking, of course, of the defeat of the Dark Lord Voldemort at the hands of the valiant Harry Potter."

Harry began to squirm once again in his seat, but was stilled when Ginny gave his hand another squeeze.

"But this final battle," the Minister continued, "did not happen by random chance. Many actions and events took place to bring about the final confrontation between darkness and light. In fact, this war was merely a continuance of a war that we thought had ended some seventeen years earlier, one that cost the lives of many wonderful, strong, and caring wizards and witches."

A single tear trickled down Harry's cheek as he thought back to all those who had first devoted themselves for the cause of good, among them his late parents.

Still Kingsley continued on, "And do not think that valor and compassion died with that generation. For many good people stood in the face of tyranny during the second war as well. Many were so young that they never got the chance to partake fully of the generous bounty that life had to offer. Yet they gave themselves selflessly, all for the cause of good… all for hope… all for love. It is on their shoulders that we stand to form this new world that they bestowed upon us."

By now, most of those in attendance were doing their best to stifle sobs as their thoughts floated over all to those they once held dear and that had been lost to the war.

Kingsley's voice grew even stronger as he began to reach the climax of his speech, "Let us never forget those who gave their lives so that we may live. Let us never forget those dark times when old rivals came together in unity against the darkness. Let us live for all days to come, as the children of hope, light and love."

With a bow, the Minister turned and took the seat next to Harry as all those in attendance burst into a roar of applause. Harry wondered who was going to speak next and if they were going to make an appearance like Kingsley did. Harry almost fainted in disbelief when Ginny released his hand, stood and slowly made her way to the podium.

After casting the projecting charm upon herself and waiting for the crowd to grow silent, she began speaking in a clear, shimmering voice. "Fellow wizards and witches, I know that I speak for all of you when I say that Minister Shacklebolt has spoken nothing but truth here today. But while he implores us to remember the sacrifices made during this conflict, we must all realize that as time passes, memories begin to fade and distort. How then, do we keep true the story of this great conflict between light and darkness? As always, the answer lies in our magic. With our magic we have constructed a monument, an everlasting testament to the sacrifices of all those involved in the Great Wars. This monument will never crumble, and will never fade. For all time it will list each and every person who laid down their life for a better future. But it will also have one other thing inscribed upon its surface. A dedication if you will, to the one who was the culmination of all our hopes and dreams. While I know that he would be perfectly content to live in quiet anonymity, I also know that it would be a disservice to all who gave the ultimate price to not acknowledge the unbelievable courage, love, and trials of Harry James Potter."

Harry was blushing furiously and tried to shift his gaze to the ground between his feet, but Ginny caught his gaze and held him there as she continued.

"I was allowed the great honor of composing the dedication for this monument, and I did as much research as I could to make it perfect." So _that's_ what Hermione was helping Ginny with!

"Long I thought about what would be fitting for this dedication, and finally I settled for something from the heart, because, after all, it is the power of the heart that allowed us to overcome the night."

With a flick of her wand, the green curtain fell to the ground, revealing a golden obelisk with the names of all those who gave their lives written on three sides. On the side facing the audience, however, there were the words of dedication that Ginny had written.

With a very audible voice Ginny said, "Harry Potter, I give you this, the words from my heart." She then began to recite…

_**Across Blue Skies**_

_A spot upon the horizon_

_That blinds the watching eyes_

_The light, thy precious soul_

_That burns across blue skies._

_A memory it leaves_

_When times were naught but gay_

_Of fancy-free frivolity_

_And innocence untamed._

_But ahead there lies the clouds_

_Of blackened shade and hue_

_The culmination of doubts and fears_

_Poised to beset you._

_Hell-spawned tempest looming_

_With portents of rain and hail_

_Freezing trembling limbs_

_Causing hope to fail._

_Still bravely on you speed_

_Towards life and fate unknown_

_With fortitude you enter the void_

_Thy will sustains alone._

_Despair and death palpable_

_Linked within thy arms_

_Breaking down defenses_

_Whispering seductive charms._

_And at the final moment,_

_This damned pair do_ _their deed,_

_Rising up, the final strike_

_The fatal stroke doth bleed._

_With showering drops of crimson_

_You fall from places high_

_Becoming dust and ashes_

_As hopes and dreams both die._

_Those so dear they gather_

_Around your bod to weep_

_Yet movement catches vision all_

_Among thy shattered heap._

_A flickering, a fire_

_That rises once again_

_Shrugging off the empty husk_

_With death thy life began._

_To life again you turn_

_With will and strength renewed,_

_To chase thy wildest dreams_

_With vision clear, unskewed._

_How dazzling, how beautiful_

_With joyous call you rise_

_Thy heart, the mighty Phoenix_

_That burns across blue skies._

As Ginny finished, she turned to the man she loved, tears flowing freely down both of their faces and said, "I love you, my Harry."

The entire assembly, most openly weeping, waited with baited breath for Harry's response. Harry stood and walked over to the woman who filled him with joy and wonder with each beat of his heart. Everything faded away as Harry focused on Ginny, and Ginny alone. He knew now what he had to say, and there was only one way to say it. He sank to one knee and said in a voice that could be heard easily without the aid of a projecting charm. "Ginny you are the greatest thing that has and will ever happen to me. You've shown me how to love and be loved. I'd sacrifice all of myself for you. Please marry me, and fill the rest of my life with joy."

Ginny's smile was like the rising sun. "I could think of no other way to live."

The crowd erupted in cheers of joy and happiness as Ginny Weasley and Harry Potter embraced, feeling the love they shared burst from their bodies and soar up into the sky.


End file.
